Governor Baker Nominates Christine Anthony as Associate Justice of the Probate and Family Court

 Governor Baker Nominates Christine Anthony as Associate Justice of the Probate and Family Court

 

BOSTON — This week, Governor Charlie Baker nominated Christine Anthony as Associate Justice of the Probate and Family Court. Attorney Anthony has 25 years of legal experience.

 

"Attorney Anthony’s many years of experience with both probate matters and family law have prepared her well to serve as an Associate Justice of the Probate and Family Court,​" said Governor Charlie Baker. "I am pleased to submit this qualified candidate to the Governor's Council for their advice and consent."

 

“Throughout her career, Attorney Anthony has demonstrated a commitment to the people and families served by the Commonwealth’s legal system," said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito.​ "If confirmed by the Governor's Council, I am confident that she will continue to serve the Commonwealth well as an Associate Justice of the Probate and Family Court."

 

The Probate and Family Court Department has jurisdiction over family-related and probate matters such as divorce, paternity, child support, custody, parenting time, adoption, termination of parental rights, abuse prevention and wills, estates, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, and changes of name. The Probate and Family Court has over 40 judges, including Chief Justice John D. Casey. If confirmed by the Governor’s Council, Attorney Anthony will fill the seat vacated by the Honorable Joan Armstrong.

 

For more information on the Probate & Family Court, please visit their homepage.

 

Judicial nominations are subject to the advice and consent of the Governor’s Council. Applicants for judicial openings are reviewed by the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) and recommended to the governor. Governor Baker established the JNC in February 2015 pursuant to Executive Order 558, a non-partisan, non-political Commission composed of volunteers from a cross-section of the Commonwealth's diverse population to screen judicial applications. Twenty-one members were later appointed to the JNC in April 2015.

 

About Christine Anthony

Christine Anthony began her legal career ​in 1996, when she joined the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court as a Law Clerk, where she eventually rose to the office of Chief Law Clerk. Her responsibilities included legal research for judges of the Court, providing legal analysis, and drafting memoranda of decision, orders, judgments, findings of fact, and rationales. In 1998, Attorney Anthony joined the firm Lee, Levine & Bowser as an Associate Attorney. In 2000, she became an Assistant Judicial Case Manager with the Worcester Probate and Family Court, where she assisted the First Justice with daily judicial operations and served as Appeals Clerk.  Attorney Anthony became a solo practitioner in 2005, focusing on family law. She served as Guardian ad Litem in custody and probate matters, and handled appeals from the Probate and Family Court. From 2008 until 2011, Attorney Anthony joined Lander & Lander PC, representing clients in cases involving family law. In 2011 Attorney Anthony established the Law Offices of Christine Anthony, where she specializes in family law matters. She also serves as a Worcester County Public Administrator after being appointed by the Governor in 2019. Outside of her career, Attorney Anthony served as a member of the Board of Directors and Conference Committee for the Massachusetts Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts from 2014 to 2018. From 2014 to 2017, she was the coach of the Westborough High School Mock Trial Club, a program she helped begin. Currently, Attorney Anthony volunteers with the Quinsigamond Community College Mentor Program, MBA Dial-a-Lawyer, and the Community Harvest Project. Attorney Anthony received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1992 and her Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University Law School in 1996.

波士頓市長吳弭Ashmont地鐵站說明3巴士線將免費2年 (附視頻)

波士頓市長吳弭(Michelle Wu)和州市議員及支持者，說明3條巴士線將免費2年。(周菊子攝)

波士頓市長吳弭。(周菊子攝)               (Boston Orange 周菊子綜合報導) 波士頓新任市長吳弭 (Michelle Wu)，新官上任三把火? 16日宣誓就任，17日遞出撥款令，向波士頓市議會要800萬元，讓3條巴士線免費2年，18日再和州市議員聯袂在地鐵站前宣佈，這關乎種族和經濟正義，市議會已溝通，將同意通過。               波士頓市議會的下次會期將在12月以後，待撥款令通過後，巴士免費預定明年才實施。               吳弭競選波士頓市長時，她的競選對手等許多人都說她那要地鐵免費的計畫是「天上的餡餅 (Pie in the sky)」，不過吳弭在競選過程中也曾說過，讓地鐵免費是理想，第一步是先讓地鐵系統內的所有巴士免費。 塞車中的計程車乘客見到吳弭市長，高興大喊，要求和吳弭來張自拍。               上任後立即向實踐競選諾言邁步的吳弭說明，選擇第23，28，29號這3條巴士線來辦理搭乘免費計畫，部分原因是這3條巴士線的行經路段，都在波士頓市之內，不需要和其他城市商量。以2年為期，是學習羅倫斯市成功前例，給商戶及家庭足夠時間調整生活及營運策略。               28號巴士線從藍山大道(Blue Hill Ave.)經過麥特潘廣場 (Mattapan Square)，洛士百利的Nubian廣場，到達橘線地鐵的羅格斯(Ruggles)車站。23號線巴士則從多徹斯特的Ashmont地鐵站經過Grove Hall到Ruggles，29號巴士則是從麥特潘廣場到Jackson廣場。 波士頓市長吳弭 (Michelle Wu) 在辦公室簽署撥款令。(吳弭推特截圖)              吳弭指出，在地鐵及巴士的總搭乘量現在已回到新冠病毒大流行前的53%之際，28號巴士線的搭乘量卻回到92%之多，以使這條巴士線成為地鐵系統中最受歡迎路線。               搭乘這些巴士的人，有80%到90%都是少數族裔，有色人種及低收入民眾，讓巴士免費因此也是經濟正義問題。               Kim Janey在代理市長時，由波士頓市府撥款50萬元，讓民眾免費搭乘28號線巴士三個月，以觀察效果。Kim Janey在卸任前，宣佈錢還夠用，免費搭車可延續到年底。               波士頓市府表示，執行這項計畫的款項，將來自2021年美國援救計畫(ARPA)。波士頓市估計可從這計畫中分得5億5800萬元，其中1億1500萬元將用於取代市府的營運收入，8200元用做緊急紓困，還有3億6000萬元可用於社區主導的項目。               吳弭表示，讓搭乘巴士免費，還可鼓勵民眾減少開車，不但會紓緩道路交通，還能進而減少碳排放量，降低空氣汙染。               吳弭曾經說過，要讓地鐵系統的所有巴士免費搭乘，每年約需耗費3000萬元，而地鐵的車費收入在地鐵的23億元總預算中，只佔6到7億元而已。               地鐵免費的支持者估算，如果向家庭年收入超過100萬元的人開徵富人稅，政府每年可以多出20億元稅收，就有更多經費可用於補助教育、交通等等。               羅倫斯市(Lawrence)從2019年就開始為Merrimack Valley區域交通局的3條巴士線支付費用，讓民眾免費搭乘了。               屋斯特區域中轉局(Worcester Regional Transit Authority)18日時也才無異議通過，要把在新冠病毒大流行期間試行的免費搭乘服務，展延至2023年1月。               吳弭表示，她將繼續努力和其他市鎮協商，讓更多巴士線可以任人免費搭乘。她已經在研究辦法，要讓從Nubian廣場經布魯克蘭(Brookline)，到哈佛廣場的66號線巴士，以及從東波士頓到瑞維爾(Revere)的116號線巴士免費。               18日在地鐵紅線Ashmont車站的說明會中，波士頓市議會代議長Matt O’Malley，不分區市議員Michael Flaherty，第四區市議員Andrea Campbell，候任不分區市議員Erin Murphy，宜居街道聯盟 (LivableStreets Alliance)的Stacy Thompson等，有多名政要及社區人士出席。Matt O’Malley表示，市議會支持吳弭這一行動，預定下次會期就可通過撥款令。擔任市議會美國援救計畫款項撥發委員會主席的Michael Flaherty不但支持，當天還特地搭乘地鐵到會場，Erin Murphy表示自己的女兒也每天要搭地鐵上班。Andrea Campbell感謝吳弭，稱這是她們都支持的經濟正義行動。

第11屆亞美節慈善拍賣暨音樂晚會訂11月20日在昆士市龍鳳酒樓舉行

亞美會發佈第11屆亞美節慈善拍賣暨音樂晚會活動。由右向左為曹品慈、甄雲龍、
谷繼成、潘飛、榮麗亞，吳皓。(甄雲龍提供)

             (Boston Orange) 亞美聯誼會（Asian America Association Boston）將於11月20日(週六)傍晚5點起至10點，在昆士市龍鳳酒樓舉辦第11屆亞美節慈善拍賣暨音樂晚會，並向社區推廣該會刻正持續辦理的「生活沙龍」，為提升亞裔社區的文化交流與融合，盡一份心力。

                        亞美聯誼會創辦人甄雲龍表示，礙於新冠病毒疫情，去年未舉辦盛大的亞美節，今年疫情仍未消散，該會研議後決定推出「生活沙龍」，以常態性的小型文化、社會服務活動，從食衣住行等角度來豐富社區民眾生活，協助新移民融入主流社會，促進族裔交流。迄今他們以設在尼倫街(Kneeland)盛雄莊藥材行店內的會址為基礎，已舉辦過許多活動，全都免費，有意參加未來活動的社區民眾可上網，或親自到場查詢該會活動的內容、日期與時間。

亞美會共同會長潘飛(右)、曹品慈(左)。

甄雲龍還強調，亞美會的宗旨之一是立足社區，聯誼僑團，希望促成大波士頓亞裔僑團之間的交流，合作，以期團結就是力量，在遇到與亞裔福祉有關的事務時，可以發揮更大影響。

亞美聯誼會共同會長，開設帝國拍賣行的潘飛表示，第11屆亞美節，已有多名政要支持，包括麻州州長Charlie Baker，昆士市市長柯奇 (Tom Koch)都發了賀信，確定將出席的有轄區在昆士市的麻州參議員John Keenan，共和黨州長參選人Kim Duffy，共和黨州務卿參選人Rayla Campbell，波士頓市議員愛德華費林(Ed Flynn)。已口頭應允將出席的有麻州參議員Marc Pacheco，麻州眾議員Jon Santiago，David Biele等人。

亞美聯誼會共同會長，盛雄莊老闆曹品慈表示，該會今年8月創辦「生活沙龍」，舉辦過品酒飲茶，鑑賞書畫，認識易經風水，了解購屋貸款，學習手機應用等一系列改善、豐富人們生活品質的活動。這些活動不但免費，會場還有精美茶點助興，希望社區民眾能夠踴躍參加，藉這一席之地，認識新朋友，擴大生活圈。

甄雲龍指出，舉辦慈善拍賣暨音樂晚會，既是為社區舉辦一場文化活動，也是為亞美會籌措營運，服務社區的經費。

音樂晚會部分，將有擅吹嗩吶的管樂演奏名家郭雅志，波士頓亞文中心青少年交響樂團指揮楊捷等人演出，包括笛子獨奏、葫蘆絲獨奏、粵曲演唱、流行曲演唱、獨唱、舞蹈和旗袍秀等節目。

拍賣部分有無聲拍賣及現場競拍，協辦這場活動的北美華人收藏協會與該會熱心成員將拿出許多古玩字畫、藝術精品，珠寶首飾拍賣。

在第11屆亞美節慈善拍賣暨音樂晚會的新聞發佈會上，該會董事之一，創辦了「谷氏地震預測研究所 (GUIEP)」的谷繼成教授還分享了他在地震預測上的研究心得，以及該研究所為世界各地預測地震，減少自然災害的心願。

第11屆亞美節慈善拍賣暨音樂晚會購票地點在盛雄莊藥行，70 Kneeland St., Boston, MA 02111，電話917-498-7878。 (更新版)

樂評盛讚小提琴家Stella Chen 和鋼琴家Henry Kramer 期盼很快再有演出

小提琴家Stella Chen 和鋼琴家Henry Kramer謝幕。

             (Boston Orange) 中華表演藝術基金會邀小提琴家Stella Chen 和鋼琴家Henry Kramer演出的第三十三屆音樂季第二場音樂會，11月6日在新英格蘭音樂學院喬頓廳大獲好評。

             波士頓音樂情報(Boston Musical Intelligencer) 樂評人 Julie Ingelfinger在他發表的音樂會後樂評中坦率表示，「我希望能夠很快再聽到這兩位音樂家的演奏，越快越好」。

             小提琴家Stella Chen 和鋼琴家Henry Kramer現在都是已獲世界性大獎，在全球各地巡迴演出的音樂家，這次聯袂回到母校演奏，看到觀眾席中有許多當年的良師、益友、同窗，頗有感觸，既感謝嚴師調教、督促，才讓他們在音樂這條路上走得更順暢，更高興又再見到當年同在哈佛及新英格蘭音樂學院一起排練的黎卓宇等人，為彼此的各有成就感到欣慰。

小提琴家Stella Chen 演奏。

           那天晚上，大波士頓好多音樂界重量級人物出席了，包括鋼琴家Robert Levin 小提琴名師 Donald Weilerstein、Miriam Fried、Paul Biss、張萬鈞 (Lynn Chang) ，以及名指揮 Mark Churchill等，Stella Chen 和鋼琴家Henry Kramer因此也演奏得別認真。

             他們倆當晚演奏的曲目包括難度極高的巴爾托克(Bartok)小提琴曲代表作，史特勞斯(Strauss)的著名降E大調第18號小提琴及鋼琴奏鳴曲，以及二首由舒伯特名歌改編的小提琴曲，其中一首還是Stella Chen 自己改編的。

那首很少人聽過的“無人地的搖籃曲”，則是1949年在Jamaica 出生作曲家 Alberga所撰寫的曲目，緬懷在第一次世界大戰中陣亡的青年將士，慰藉他們孤單、寂寞的在天之靈，十分感人。

波士頓音樂情報樂評 Julie Ingelfinger 說:“能在現場親自聽到2019年伊麗莎白皇后小提琴大賽第一名Stella Chen，以及2016年伊麗莎白皇后鋼琴大賽第二名Henry Kramer在喬頓廳演出的觀眾，都是幸運的。這兩位音樂家都是Avery Fisher Career Grant 的得獎人，既有名校資歷，也有舞台經驗。當晚的演出精彩，不負眾望。

Julie Ingelfinger在樂評中，還以專業眼光，鉅細靡遺的從頭到尾評論了每一首曲子，都給予很高的評價，還在結論時說，「儘管觀眾很強烈要求安可，但兩位演出者只接受獻花，深深鞠躬致謝，一曲也沒加奏。無疑的，我們會很快地再聽到這兩位傑出音樂家的演出。我希望越快越好！」。

中華表演藝術基金會的下一場喬頓廳音樂會，已定在新年1月29日週六晚八點舉行，由鋼琴家莊雅婓獨奏演出，90分鐘曲目沒有中場休息。門票 $15-$50， 六歲以下兒童不可入場。 學生免費票及非學生贈送券，可在官網登記。疫情安全規格詳情請查：http://www.chineseperformingarts.net/contents/season/20220129/index.html

吳弭市長上班第一天 和州長晤談 宣佈暫停遷移美沙酮英里流民

吳弭市長上班第一天，在市政府大樓外做簡報> (周菊子攝)

             (Boston Orange 周菊子綜合報導) 吳弭 (Michelle Wu) 今天開始上班當市長了。她還是搭橘線地鐵，出站走到市政府大樓前，和一群記者晤談，透露因ACLU以處理不當為由控告市府，將暫停搬遷「美沙酮英里 (Mass & Cass)」流民行動，下午再發新聞稿，要讓3條巴士線免費2年。

             就像Kim Janey當代市長時，得處理馬丁華殊 (Martin Walsh)離任前匆促提拔Dennis White 接替辭職的William G. Gross當警察局局長，卻爆出Dennis White有家暴前科，幾番周折後，Kim Janey決定開除Dennis White，卻引來不少批評，有民眾甚至認為Kim Janey在參選市長的初選中落敗，這事件有很大影響。

吳弭在波士頓市政府大樓外和記者晤談，這樣就大家都可以暫時不用戴口罩。
(周菊子攝)

             吳弭當市長的波士頓市政府，現在也面對前兩任遺留下來，讓人頭痛的待處理事件，包括ACLU法律訴訟案件；截至11月16日，共有1087名波士頓市政府員工未遵守防疫規定，正留職停薪；警察局長職位還懸缺待補；學校委員會委員還待重新指派等等。

             不過吳弭已迫不及待的要開始實踐她的競選諾言，今日下午就發出新聞稿，說明吳弭將向波士頓市議會提案，要求撥款800萬元，好讓23，28，29這3條巴士路線，可讓民眾免費搭乘2年。

             在吳弭之前代理市長的Kim Janey，因為「美沙酮英里」的流民帳篷數量暴增，一度數算到有300多人住在這些露天帳篷中，警察從2021年2月到10月，逮捕或傳召了不下125人，也比2019年的71人，2020年的34人都多得多。被稱為「美沙酮英里」的那一、兩條街，也流民人數大增，每天都製造2大卡車垃圾，路面汙穢，老鼠流串，顯然形成公共安全威脅，10月19日頒佈了行政命令，要清除人行道上帳篷，安置流民。

舊州政府大樓 (Old State House)現在也是橘線地鐵的州街站出口。吳弭今天就從這車站
走出來，走去旁邊的市政府大樓上班。(周菊子攝)

             這原本應是有益於流民及市容的措施，卻在市政府採取行動，一舉遷移70多名流民後，竟傳出有至少3名流民的私人物品被辦事人員擅自作為垃圾丟棄等情況，還有流民在排隊等候進服務站，注射美沙酮，以遏制毒癮時，因有其他前科，被警察逮捕。「美國公民自由聯盟 (ACLU)」為此向薩福克高等法院控告波士頓市政府，稱該一搬遷遊民行動違憲，侵犯了那些遊民的私人財產權。

             ACLU要求波士頓市政府准許住在那些街道上的遊民回去，給那財物受損的3人賠償。

             ACLU是在Kim Janey還在任時提出告訴。Kim Janey政府強調波士頓市政府行動時，都依照行政命令的尊重遊民權益規定，在確定有地方安置時，才搬遷。不過市政府面對低門檻居所不足的窘境。

             吳弭針對「美沙酮英里」問題表示，由於ACLU已遞訟案，波士頓市府將暫停強制遷移流民的行動，待訟案有結果後再處理。她的政府希望確保在處理「美沙酮英里」一事上，優先考慮公共安全和住宅問題，尤其是天氣開始冷了，氣溫下降，露宿街頭很可能攸關生死。波士頓市政府必須儘快找到暫時的，穩定的低門檻住宅。

             吳弭今天和麻州州長查理貝克見面了，討論了波士頓市政府必須和州政府合作處理的議題，包括「美沙酮英里」，公共交通，以及持續性的住宅危機等。她在早上面對記者們的提問時表示，過去這些年來，她和麻州州長並沒有多少互動。

             吳弭還說，從她住的地方到市政府大樓上班，搭地鐵最快，以後應該會繼續搭地鐵上班。昨天她是搭綠線進城，今天她從位於Roslindale的家出發，搭橘線到州街 (State Street)這站下車，沿路她還和其他乘客攀談，這讓她有機會實地了解地鐵營運，聆聽民眾心聲。她強調她想讓波士頓市真正成為每一個波士頓人的城市。

昆士市長 Tom Koch 宣佈11月26-28日慶祝聖誕節

             (Boston Orange 編譯) 昆士市長柯奇 (Tomas P. Koch)宣佈今年的昆士市聖誕遊行及節慶，將於11月26至28日舉行。

              聖誕節慶祝活動將從11月26日的週五晚開始，街頭將有穿著戲服的百老匯人物，吟唱者，街頭藝人穿梭，還有贏得艾美獎的歌手Liz Calloway表演。

             當晚還將有昆士市的市長和聖誕老人點亮聖誕樹年度活動。今年的聖誕樹將由昆士居民Mandy Chan及Taylor Sheehan家族捐贈。現場還將為慶祝光明節的人準備燭台。

             晚上的慶祝活動將從5點到7點，在位於興國街(Hancock)1305號的亞當斯廣場(Adams Common)舉行。

             需要停車的人，可到Kilroy廣場，以及總統地(Presidents Place)停車場。

             星期六，11月27日的中午，人們可以在馬利蒙公園路 ( Merrymount Parkway )1號的選美場(Pageant Field) 望向天空，看搭乘直升機的聖誕老人從天而降，來探望小孩子們。穿著戲服的人也會在現場穿梭。

             昆士市的第68屆聖誕節遊行，將在11月28日，星期日的中午，從興國街(Hancock)和Walter J. Hannon Parkway交界處起步，一路經過興國街到北昆士高中。花車，軍樂隊及穿戲服的人物，都將夾雜在遊行隊伍中增添歡樂氣氛。

             為了向新冠病毒大流行期間的滿能社區健康中心，以及昆士市的公共衛生局致意，他們將擔任大遊行的典禮官。

             柯奇市長表示，聖誕節遊行，聖誕樹點燈，聖誕老人在選美場從天而降，已經都是昆士市特有的傳統。他知道很多家庭都在期待這活動，也希望大家在節慶假日期間都玩得開心。

Baker-Polito Administration Hosts 2021 Massachusetts Virtual Digital Government Summit

 Baker-Polito Administration Hosts 2021 Massachusetts Virtual Digital Government Summit 

Technology and cybersecurity leaders from state and municipal government and the private sector gathered virtually to promote best practices and spur innovation in the public sector  

BOSTON – Today, the Baker-Polito Administration, in partnership with Government Technology, hosted the 2021 Massachusetts Virtual Digital Government Summit, an annual conference geared toward networking opportunities and the sharing of best practices to enhance technology and cybersecurity services across the public sector. With a focus on the ‘future of work’ in adapting how the business of government is executed, the Summit offered attendees from state and municipal government with a valuable opportunity to build vital relationships with industry leaders and learn about innovative solutions for the challenges governments face in an increasingly digital world. 

Held virtually for the second consecutive year, the Summit included remarks from Governor Charlie Baker, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, Secretary of Technology Services and Security Curt Wood, as well as ‘technology change agents’ well versed in adapting to the rapid and disruptive changes presented by the shift to a remote workforce. Attendees participated in concurrent breakout sessions with expert panels presenting on navigating the cyber threat landscape, the impacts of automation, and the importance of connectivity in a new era of ‘remote everything’. 

“Technology has become even more fully integrated into the fabric of our lives these past eighteen months and will only increase going forward,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Events like the annual Digital Government Summit bring public and private partners together to help improve the citizen digital experience and to enable more efficient and intuitive interactions with state and local government for critical services.” 

“We find ourselves at a transformational moment that has highlighted the importance of technology investments at the state and local level,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “Ensuring continuity of essential government services to the Commonwealth’s many residents, businesses, and visitors remains a top priority for our Administration.” 

The timing of the Summit is especially poignant, coming in the same week that the President signed into law legislation that authorized a $1 billion State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program, providing much-needed funding to state and municipal governments that increasingly find themselves the targets of cyber criminals attempting to disrupt essential government services and extort taxpayer dollars through ransomware attacks. The legislation stipulates that 80% of the funding is required to be dedicated to municipalities to enhance their cybersecurity defenses, with at least 25% of that funding earmarked for rural communities that often lack the resources for dedicated IT and cybersecurity personnel. 

Building on the Administration’s strong partnerships with municipalities, the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS) recently announced the opening of the 2022 Municipal Cybersecurity Awareness Grant Program. Now in its second year, over 62,000 municipal and public school employees across the Commonwealth have enrolled in the program, gaining access to critical end-user training, evaluations, and threat simulations to improve their ability to identify and avoid traps laid by cyber attackers seeking to gain access to government IT networks and sensitive data of its constituents. 

“We have faced many challenges over the past year and a half – forcing us to continually innovate and often times reinvent the way we carry out the business of state government in order to keep our citizen-centric services running,” said Secretary of Technology Services and Security Curt Wood. “I commend the state and local government technology and cybersecurity leaders gathered here today, as you all have risen to the occasion and met the moment head on.” 

“We are beyond pleased to partner with the Baker-Polito Administration in hosting the 27th annual Massachusetts Digital Government Summit,” said Government Technology Magazine Vice President Jack Mortimer. “This conference brings together the best minds in technology and cybersecurity to share best practices, celebrate successes, and discuss creative ways to leverage technology throughout the Commonwealth.” 

吳弭市長上任第一天向市議會要800萬元好讓23、28、29號巴士免費2年

Mayor Michelle Wu Takes Steps to Expand Fare-Free Bus Service  On first full day in office, Mayor Wu files an appropriations request for $8 million to make the 23, 28 and 29 bus lines free for two-years, expanding groundbreaking pilot

 

Boston, MA - Wednesday, November 17, 2021 - Mayor Michelle Wu today filed an appropriation order with the City Council for $8 million in federal funds to eliminate fares on the 23, 28 and 29 bus routes for a two-year period. Mayor Wu will seek to implement this program in close collaboration with the City Council and MBTA beginning early next year. This program builds on the 4-month fare-free 28 bus pilot program helmed by Mayor Janey. While overall bus and subway ridership is at 53 percent of pre-pandemic weekday ridership, the free 28 bus saw ridership surge to 92% of pre-pandemic levels, making it the most popular in the system. The 23 Bus line (Ashmont to Dorchester Center, Grove Hall & Ruggles) the 28 Bus line (Mattapan Square, up Blue Hill Ave, to Nubian Square & Ruggles) and the 29 Bus line (Mattapan Square, up Blue Hill Ave, to Jackson Square) each serves a diverse ridership, and each intersects with Blue Hill Ave, which has been identified by Livable Streets Alliance as one of the corridors that should be prioritized for improvements to increase reliability and boost ridership. The two-year investment will allow the City of Boston and transit partners to measure the benefits of fare-free bus service, such as increased ridership, faster buses, less traffic, and business development along the route; ensure that word spreads across neighborhoods, and provide the opportunity for riders to integrate fare-free lines into their daily routines. The program also sets the foundation for Mayor Wu to build regional and state-level momentum for fare-free public transit, starting with buses. “I am excited to take this key step towards a brighter transit future. Building on the fare-free 28 bus pilot created by Mayor Janey, we will expand access to transit across our neighborhoods, connecting more people to their schools, places of worship, small businesses, and community centers––and easing congestion on our bus riders and drivers alike. With stronger ties between our communities, we’ll reshape the boundaries of what’s possible in our city,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. "This expansion of fare-free bus service is an important example of how municipal leadership can not only immediately improve the lives of Bostonians, but also set us on a path to a more just transit system for future generations. Fare-free bus service is an essential step in turning the page on a transit system that's been overly dependent on fares, building momentum for treating public transit as a public good and recognizing the MBTA as the economic engine of our entire region,” said former Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation Jim Aloisi. “The answer to the question of how free transportation will work is: step by step, with an implementation that allows for fully examining the process. By adding two more routes to Mayor Janey’s initial pilot project of Route 28, Mayor Wu is addressing the issues of equity along with analyzing how more productive routes can be with both dedicated lanes and free bus service. With free service, we'll grow ridership and make our city more fair for everyone!" said Tim Lasker, President of OPEIU Local 453. “The fare-free bus pilot on these specific routes is a win-win-win for our community! Riders on these three bus routes will have one less thing to worry about: the fare. Lower transportation costs will put money back into the pockets of riders while leading to many other intangible benefits, like improved air quality––particularly important in these communities, which have higher than average asthma rates. We are hoping that public transit will be free for all in the near future,” said Mela Bush Miles, Director of Transit Oriented Development at Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE). “As someone who has been riding the T for 30 years, this news is phenomenal! The 23 and 29 have been key, lifeline routes for over a century. The neighborhoods they serve shall benefit tremendously. Students, shoppers, and seniors, among others, will no longer need to second-guess their mobility,” said Stuart Spina, transit advocate and member of the T Riders Union. “We are thrilled to hear about the expansion and extension of the free buses pilot in Boston--and we are proud that Boston has become a national leader in the free transit movement. What the City of Boston is demonstrating is that we don’t need dozens of studies and public meetings to advance free transit. The best method is to simply move forward with pilots, measure their success and then continue to expand the effort. The real winners of free transit are the thousands of riders who use the 28, 29 and -- especially 23 who’s riders will also experience faster and more reliable bus service on the newly launched center running bus lane on Columbus Ave. We hope that other municipalities in the region will join Boston to advance additional free bus pilots across the region - and that the MBTA will continue to be a strong collaborator in this effort,” said Stacy Thompson, Executive Director of Livable Streets Alliance.